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China's Bullying in The West Philippine Sea; news and updates
Topic Started: Mon Dec 9, 2013 3:32 pm (1,123 Views)
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European countries support PH’s West Philippine Sea stand

Ruser Mallari May 18, 2014 Nation

“Hungary agreed with the Philippines that bringing the West Philippine Sea issue before the Arbitral Tribunal was in consonance with international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes,” Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Moreover, in a different release, DFA said that “the two governments [Poland and Philippines] agreed on the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes through the adherence to, and observance of, international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

Philippines had a delegation headed by Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson to Hungary and Poland for political consultation.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2014/05/18/526-european-countries-support-phs-west-philippine-sea-stand
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China warned Japan to stay out of a growing dispute with its neighbors over the South China Sea, as the Philippines implicitly accused Beijing of delaying talks aimed at a solution.

BEIJING/MANILA - China warned Japan on Friday to stay out of a growing dispute with its neighbours over the South China Sea, as the Philippines implicitly accused Beijing of delaying talks aimed at a solution.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, rejecting rival claims to parts of it from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei in one of Asia's most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint.

It also has a separate maritime dispute with Japan over islands in the East Sea.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday expressed concern about regional tensions that he said were stoked by China's "unilateral drilling" after China moved a giant oil rig into disputed waters, a moved denounced by the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States.

"The relevant Japanese statement neglects reality and confuses the facts, and takes a political motive to interfere with the situation in the South China Sea for a secret purpose," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily briefing.

"We require the Japanese side to consistently take realistic actions to protect the region's peace and stability."

The Philippines blamed a slowdown in talks on ending the disputes on "construction" changing the ground rules, an apparent reference to China.

The Philippines is pushing for a "code of conduct".

"The code of conduct has been long in coming, we have been discussing this for the past seven or eight years, and we're also wondering why there is a delay," Philippine Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said.

"Are we changing the environment so that when we are ready to discuss the code of conduct, the environment has changed?"

Del Rosario, speaking at a security outlook session of the World Economic Forum, said there had been "changes" on the ground since talks began, without specifically mentioning China.

"There are a lot of build-ups, a lot of construction going on, until we realise people are already doing some kind of a fencing."

Last week, the Philippine foreign ministry released aerial surveillance pictures of a reef showing what it said was Chinese reclamation and the building of what appeared to be an airstrip.


Slowing the talks

A Malaysian diplomatic source said China was deliberately slowing down the talks.

"China has been reluctant to even talk about the code of conduct," the diplomatic source said. "It's a carrot to dangle in the distance. We are dealing with a superpower."

In Vietnam, emotions have run so high a 67-year-old woman killed herself by setting herself on fire, local government officials said.

The woman set herself ablaze at about 6 a.m. in front of the Independence Palace in Ho Chi Minh City, Le Truong Hai Hieu, a senior city official, said by telephone.
"She carried banners saying 'Against China in Vietnam's sea' and 'I will bless Vietnam's marine police'," Hieu said.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his government was considering various "defence options" against China, including legal action, following the deployment of the oil rig.

Dung's comments, given in a written response to questions from Reuters, were the first time he has suggested Vietnam would take legal measures, and drew an angry response from China.

Anti-Chinese violence flared in Vietnam last week after the $1 billion deepwater rig owned by China's state-run CNOOC oil company was parked 240 km (150 miles) off the coast of Vietnam.

Hanoi says the rig is in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China has said the rig was operating completely within its waters.

"We prepared all possible measures, including legal measures," Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, head of Vietnam's Foreign Ministry legal department, said on Friday.

"Using legal measures is better than armed conflict."

— Reuters
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/362425/news/world/china-warns-japan-philippines-accuses-china-in-maritime-spat?utm_source=GMANews&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=GMANewsFacebook
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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China sea claims spur Indonesian military build-up

ROILO GOLEZ
Date May 30, 2014

This is how the Philippines should have handled the China threat from the very time the Mischief Reef incident erupted twenty years ago. But we as a nation did not demonstrate foresight and fortitude. We are weak because we chose to be weak. Now we are playing a catch-up game - Golez.

click here http://roilogolez.blogspot.com/2014/05/china-sea-claims-spur-indonesian.html
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose. AP file

Philippines urges China to reconsider arbitration

(philstar.com) | Updated June 4, 2014 - 4:53pm

MANILA, Philippines — Manila asked Beijing to cooperate in arbitration before a tribunal on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose said Wednesday that China should welcome the peaceful process initiated by the Philippine government in January 2013 and submit its counter-memorial to the international tribunal.

"We continue to urge China to reconsider its decision not to participate in the arbitration proceedings," Jose said, as noted in a state news report.

"We wish to reiterate that arbitration is a peaceful, open and friendly resolution mechanism that offers a durable solution to the disputes in the South China Sea," he added.

The Hague-based arbitral tribunal issued a procedural order giving China until December 15 to answer the Philippines' claims submitted before the court.

Earlier this year, China said it rejects the arbitration case as an insult to friendly relations between the two countries. Beijing also insisted on direct talks with the Philippines to formulate a settlement on the longstanding sea row.

Also read: China's position paper on sea disputes with Philippines

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said, however, that the arbitration is the Philippines' last resort after initial negotiations with China failed. - Camille Diola

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/06/04/1331008/philippines-urges-china-reconsider-arbitration


'China will ignore arbitral court's request'

By Camille Diola (philstar.com) | Updated June 4, 2014 - 12:46pm

MANILA, Philippines — China is likely to ignore the procedural order of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) tribunal to submit its arguments against the Philippines' claim, a security expert said.

Rommel Banlaoi, a defense academician and chair of the Philippine Institute of Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said that China has, in the past, categorically rejected the arbitration initiated by the Philippines in a bid to settle contesting claims over parts of the South China Sea.

"Based on my knowledge of China, China will ignore the request," Banlaoi said in a phone interview with Philstar.com.

"Even if the arbitral tribunal renders final decision on the issue, it will ignore it especially if the ruling will not favor China," he added.

Banlaoi said that China's inaction in the proceedings will not be an advantage to the Philippines as the arbitration would still push through.

"It's even making the process more difficult because the other party is not cooperating," Banlaoi said.

According to the Permanent Court of Arbitration's rules of procedure, failure of a party to appear or submit a memorial or written pleading to aid in the case will "not constitute a bar to the proceedings."

Banlaoi said that after the international court makes a decision favoring either party, the next "problem" will be enforcement in the disputed waters.

In recent years, China has grown its civilian and military presence in maritime areas within the Philippines' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

The Asian power's actions have been slammed by the United States as disrupting regional stability while rival claimants such as the Philippines and Vietnam have filed diplomatic protests over China's harassment of civilian vessels and crewmen in the waters.

Banlaoi said that both countries have to play the political game to settle the sea row peacefully, using the tribunal's impending ruling on the claims.

On Wednesday, the UNCLOS trbunal issued a note fixing December 15 as the deadline for China to submit its counter-memorial to assure that both parties will be heard by the five arbitrators from Ghana, Poland, France, Netherlands and Germany.

The Philippines has submitted its 4,000-page pleading last March 30 to the international court.

"By going to arbitration, the Philippines has signaled its fidelity to international law ... With the submission of the Philippine Memorial and with the support of the Filipino people, we are defending what is legitimately and rightfully ours," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario had said.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/06/04/1330986/china-will-ignore-arbitral-courts-request


IF CHINA WILL KEEP ON DISRESPECTING INTERNATIONAL LAW AND PURSUES VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE THEIR SELFISH GOALS, THEN THE WORLD COMMUNITY SHOULD CRITICIZE AND PUNISH CHINA.

THE WORLD MUST ENFORCE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AND CANCEL TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA.

ASEAN MUST CANCEL ALL TRADE AGREEMENTS ESPECIALLY THE 'ASEAN-CHINA FREE TRADE' DEAL AND REJECT CHINA AS A TRADE PARTNER.

STOP ALL EXPORTS TO CHINA, ESPECIALLY THE MINERALS AND OIL.

STOP IMPORTING ANYTHING FROM CHINA TOO.

CHINA, THE GREEDY BULLY, WILL KEEP ON HUMILIATING THE WORLD COMMUNITY AND WILL KEEP ON BULLYING ITS NEIGHBORS UNLESS THE WORLD RESPONDS EFFECTIVELY.
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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Tribunal orders China to respond to PHL’s complaint over sea row

June 4, 2014 9:44am

(Updated 5:37 p.m.) A United Nations-backed international arbitral tribunal has ordered China to respond to the Philippines' claim that Beijing illegally occupied certain areas in the South China Sea.

The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its second Procedural Order after the second meeting of the Arbitral Tribunal's members last May 14 and 15.

However, in an statement later Wednesday, China reiterated its refusal to take part in the arbitration proceedings and rejected the ruling.


‘Open and friendly resolution mechanism’

In a memorial submitted to the tribunal on March 30, 2014, the Philippines argued that China illegally occupied at least eight South China Sea shoals, reefs and similar features belonging to the Philippines. It also said China's claims that it owns the disputed territory did not conform with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Beijing has continuously ignored the arbitration process, even saying in its May 21, 2014 note verbale that it will not participate in the proceedings.

Earlier Wednesday, the Philippines asked China to reconsider its rejection of the legal challenge to its territorial claims and join the arbitration case.

"We wish to reiterate that arbitration is a peaceful, open and friendly resolution mechanism that offers a durable solution to the disputes in the South China Sea," Foreign Affairs Spokesman Charles Jose told a press briefing.

"We continue to urge China to reconsider its decision not to participate in the arbitration proceedings."

At a press conference, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said they leave it to China whether or not it will comply with the order.

"This is a process that all parties are abiding by. So, whether China responds or not... we leave it with them," he said.

And while the country is waiting for the decision of the tribunal, the Palace official assured the public that authorities are securing the country's territories.

"I think that’s where we have made measures both by the BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) and also by our coast watch to strengthen and to ensure our maritime resources," he said.


Until December 15, 2014

The arbitral tribunal in its Procedural Order No. 2 has given China until December 15, 2014 to submit a counter memorial to the Philippine complaint that seeks to denigrate Beijing's massive claim, which Manila calls illegal and excessive.

Chairing the five-member Arbitral Tribunal is Judge Thomas Mensah of Ghana. The other members include:

- Judge Jean-Pierre Cot of France
- Judge Stanislaw Pawlak of Poland
- Professor Alfred Soons of the Netherlands
- Judge Rüdiger Wolfrum of Germany

Last May 21, the Permanent Court of Arbitration received a note verbale from China where Beijing reiterated it "does not accept the arbitration initiated by the Philippines.”

China added the note verbale “shall not be regarded as China’s acceptance of, or participation in the proceedings.”

On the other hand, the tribunal said it allowed both sides a chance to comment on scheduling, with the Philippines submitting its comments last May 29.

The arbitration procedure started on Jan. 22, 2013, when the Philippines served China a notification and statement of claim. China rejected the Philippines' notification.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the memorial submitted March 30, 2014 to the Permanent Court of Arbitration “contains the Philippine analysis of the applicable law and the relevant evidence, and demonstrates that the tribunal has jurisdiction over all the claims made by the Philippines.”

Representing the Philippines are:

- Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza
- counsels Paul Reichler and Lawrence Martin, Foley Hoag LLP, Washington DC
- Professor Bernard Oxman, University of Miami School of Law, Miami
- Professor Philippe Sands, London
- Professor Alan Boyle, Essex Court Chambers, London

Meanwhile, China has not appointed an agent as it does not accept the arbitration process.


Tensions in Ayungin Shoal included

Earlier, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza said the incidents in Ayungin Shoal were included in the Philippine case.

“The Philippines amended its statement of claim including Ayungin as part of the arbitration,” he said.

Tensions over Ayungin Shoal (also called Ren’ai Reef by China but internationally known as Second Thomas Shoal) intensified on March 9 when Chinese coast guard ships blocked two Philippine civilian vessels which were sailing toward the disputed rocky outcrop.

Also in March, Military officials reported an incident of harassment as they launched another attempt to transport supplies and fresh Filipino troops to a grounded Philippine Navy ship manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors, which has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.


Pressure from China

Under the arbitration procedure, the filing of a counter-memorial should be made by China.

Upon submission, the tribunal will decide on the next steps and advise the parties involved in the case on its next course of action.

Since the Philippines filed the case in January 2013, Beijing has attempted to pressure Manila into withdrawing from the legal process. China has also put diplomatic pressure on other claimant states not to support the Philippines.

China maintains "historical and indisputable claim" nearly over the entire sea and its features, even as it overlaps with the territorial jurisdiction of its neighbors like the Philippines.


West Philippine Sea

Manila adopted the name West Philippine Sea for parts of the waters that are within its territorial boundaries.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan are also claimants to the South China Sea – a major trading route where undersea oil and gas deposits have been discovered.

An expert said Manila’s filing of the memorial would step up pressure on China in defending its nine-dash line claim – a tongue-shaped encirclement that covers a huge swath of the South China Sea.

“It will add moral pressure on China to make its claims to ‘historic rights’ and ‘indisputable sovereignty’ clearer in terms of international law,” Professor Carl Thayer of the Australian Defense Force Academy told GMA News Online.

The arbitral process could take up to a year or longer and during this period, China is expected to further reinforce its claims, said Thayer.

On the other hand, the United States, European Union and many Asian governments have supported the Philippines' decision to seek a solution to the dispute through peaceful means "in accordance with international law" instead of military aggression.

A decision in favor of the Philippines would strengthen the rule of international law, Thayer said.

“Using international law may be the ‘weapon of the weak’ but the valiant attempt by the Philippines to employ legal means to create a stable regional order will be viewed positively by most regional states, including those in the Association of South East Asian Nations,” Thayer said.

UNCLOS has no provisions for enforcement, but a favorable ruling will be seen as a moral victory for the Philippines. — Joel Locsin, Michaela del Callar and Kimberly Jane Tan, with a report from Reuters/LBG/KG/BM, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/364088/news/nation/tribunal-orders-china-to-respond-to-phl-s-complaint-over-sea-row
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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PNoy: Chinese ships found in more PHL-claimed areas

By KIMBERLY JANE TAN,GMA NewsJune 5, 2014 11:43am

(Updated 12:42 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday revealed that he has received reports about the presence of Chinese ships in more areas within the country's territorial claim in the West Philippine Sea.

"Yung latest na report na natanggap natin, we are again bothered that there seems to be developments in other areas within the disputed seas," Aquino told reporters after his speech at the Asia-Europe Meeting in Manila.

Aquino said he has seen photos of ships that can be used for reclamation near Gaven and Calderon Reefs.

"Parang may movement ng ships... We’re not saying that they are exactly the same ships that were used in Mabini [Reef], but they seem to be similar ships," he said.

Aquino's statement came a day after the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration, where the Philippines brought its case against China, ordered Beijing to respond to Manila's complaint regarding illegally occupied areas in the South China Sea.

The Hague-based tribunal issued its second Procedural Order after a meeting in mid-May where the case brought by the Philippines against China, which is claiming the South China Sea in almost its entirety, was discussed.

In a statement, China rejected the ruling and reiterated its refusal to take part in the arbitration proceedings.

The Philippines is asserting its right to the country's exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), where both countries are signatories.

Aquino stressed that the Philippines elevated the case to an international tribunal because it wants to settle the issue peacefully.

"Kailangan ng resolution and yung arbitral track is one of the solutions because both of us and others have said let us conform to international law. So that is embodied in the UNCLOS as a method... to settle the dispute," he said.

"That, hopefully, will clarify all of the disputes and will lead to... clear determination na nga of the rights and obligations," he added.

Aquino urged Beijing to take part in the arbitration process as part of its responsibility under the UNCLOS treaty.

"Kung responsible, and parati nilang sinasabi responsible member of the international community, you would hope that they would conform to all the treaties, covenants, and agreements that they have entered into, not just with us but with so many other countries, especially yung sa UNCLOS na napakaraming signatories to UNCLOS," he said.

Since the Philippines filed the case in January 2013, Beijing has attempted to pressure Manila into withdrawing from the legal process. China has also put diplomatic pressure on other claimant states not to support the Philippines.

China maintains "historical and indisputable claim" through a nine-dash line over almost the entire South China Sea and its features, even though it overlaps with the territorial jurisdiction of its neighbors like the Philippines. — RSJ/KBK/YA, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/364278/news/nation/pnoy-chinese-ships-found-in-more-phl-claimed-areas
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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PHL won't engage China; will just watch - Palace

By KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA NewsJune 6, 2014 3:07pm

The Philippines won't militarily engage China despite reports that the Asian power has been moving in on more disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea, Malacañang said Friday.

Valte said the country's strategy has always been to document any development in disputed areas and exhaust all diplomatic means to resolve them.

"We've taken a position of not responding to provocative action," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said during a press conference.

Valte made the remark even after President Benigno Aquino III revealed that the government has received reports of Chinese ships that may be used for reclamation activities near the disputed Gaven and Calderon reefs.

The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration, where the Philippines brought its case against China, has ordered Beijing to respond to Manila's complaint regarding illegally occupied areas in the West Philippine Sea. -NB, GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/364500/news/nation/phl-won-t-engage-china-will-just-watch-palace

WE CANNOT SIMPLY SAY WE WILL JUST WATCH.

WE MUST DO SOMETHING TO FIGHT BACK!

THE U.S., G7 and the world should enforce economic and diplomatic sanctions versus china when things go worse.

We should also be ready to enforce our own economic sanction versus china if they dont leave Panatag, Ayungin and Panganiban reef.

WE CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT CHINA and help the US and other alliance build the TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP TRADE PACT.

Reject China and relocate all investments from China to ASEAN, treating ASEAN as one solid economic bloc to replace China.

The Philippines and the US plus the G7 must now start making this sanction resound.
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‘EARTHMOVING ACTIVITIES’ A backhoe attached to a Chinese vessel is apparently scooping up some filling materials in a reclamation project while at the same time harvesting endangered species, giant clams. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES

Photos confirm China reclamation; experts hit reef degradation in Spratly

By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
1:59 am | Saturday, June 7th, 2014

China has reclaimed land in one of the contested reefs in the Spratly Islands, and this time, the defense department is not the only one expressing concern, but Filipino scientists as well.

They have expressed alarm over China’s activities on the contested reefs in Spratly Islands, citing environmental degradation that could adversely affect the country’s population, with “diseases, scarcity of resources and conflict.”

The military has taken photographs of China’s ongoing reclamation activity on Malvar Reef in February, with the pictures showing a backhoe attached to a Chinese vessel that, scientists said, was presumably used to gather filling materials and harvest giant clams.

On Thursday, President Benigno Aquino III said Chinese ships had been monitored moving around other reefs in the West Philippine Sea, possibly to reclaim land in Gavin Reef (Gaven Reef) and Calderon Reef (Cuarteron Reef).

Defense spokesperson Peter Galvez confirmed that China had reclaimed land on Malvar Reef (Eldad Reef), which lies northeast of Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef), where China had previously reclaimed land.

“It’s called ‘earthmoving activities’ and there’s quite a lot going on in the [West Philippine Sea] that we are monitoring,” Galvez told the Inquirer on the phone.

The defense spokesperson said China’s reclamation activities were especially worrisome not only because of the ongoing territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, but also because of its impact on the environment.

“The environment is an integral component of a state,” so environmental issues are considered security issues, according to professor Charithie Joaquin of the National Defense College of the Philippines.

“A state must be able to protect its territory and ensure that its citizens enjoy the benefits of the natural resources within its territory,” Joaquin told the Inquirer in an e-mail.

Environmental degradation could adversely affect the population, with “diseases, scarcity of resources and conflict,” she added.

“A sickly population impedes economic growth and drains much-needed resources. Scarce resources, such as water or strategic minerals, could also lead to conflict or exacerbate existing tensions,” Joaquin said, adding that “the consequences of nonsustainable use of natural resources could be irreversible, impacting not just the current generation but generations to come.”

“Because of interconnected ecosystems, the impact oftentimes transcends borders,” she added.
Scientists at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) are just as alarmed at China’s relentless harvesting of giant clams, considered endangered species, and corals in the West Philippine Sea.


Fish feed on reefs

One of the country’s foremost experts in marine life conservation, professor emeritus Edgardo Gomez of UP MSI, noted that one-fifth of the fish that Filipinos consume come from the West Philippine Sea, and move around or feed on reefs. Without the reefs, depleted fish productivity is a possibility, he added.

“If you destroy everything, there won’t be any source of food [for the fish],” Gomez explained.

Based on the February 2014 photograph of Malvar Reef, MSI deputy director for research professor Perry Aliño said the backhoe apparently served a dual purpose: to get filling materials for the reclamation and to harvest giant clams.

“[China was] not only collecting the shells but the substrate as well,” he said. A substrate is the base where an organism lives.

Land reclamation effectively destroys the reef and its surroundings, which would have a long-term impact on the environment, said Aliño, who coauthored one of the most definitive books on Kalayaan Islands, a result of an in-depth research conducted by UP MSI.

Reefs play an important role in maintaining biodiversity in the West Philippine Sea, the scientist said, adding that dredging in the reefs would eventually destroy and weaken their framework.


Natural breakwaters

The destruction of the reefs near Pagasa Island in Palawan province could bring bigger waves to the only island in the Kalayaan Island Group, where a small community lives, because reefs serve as ripraps or natural breakwaters that could reduce the force of incoming waves, Gomez said.

The Philippine military has monitored Chinese poachers using dinghies to routinely harvest giant clams (Tridacna gigas), an endangered species of clams, as well as corals and other clam species.

Some 30 to 45 dinghies trawl for giant clams and corals in areas in the West Philippine Sea, like Ayungin Shoal, Pagasa Island, Tizard Bank and reefs, Union Banks and reefs and Hasa-Hasa Shoal, and store their catch in the vessels’ huge cargo hold.

The clams, used for food or decorative purposes, are reportedly sold in the black market in Hainan province in China, with clam shells fetching from
$13 (P567) to $750 (P33,000).

Aliño explained that clams grow on top of each other, such that when they are harvested by dredging, even the fossilized clams are collected.

“They are getting depleted, which would make them more valuable,” he said. “The clams need to be restocked. [But] if they are restocked clams, then they are more valuable because there is already an investment in terms of putting them back.”


Restocking program

The UP MSI has a restocking program for cultured clams for the past 30 years, a brainchild of Gomez who hand-carried the microscopic specimens of giant clams from Solomon Islands that the UP MSI laboratory used for their first cultured giant clams.

The cultured clams are then distributed to different parts of the country, although not a substantial number has been sent to Kalayaan Island Group.

Clams cultured at UP MSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory in Pangasinan province have been brought to Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales—and most likely already harvested by the Chinese.

Gomez said it was about time that the government had a “game plan” that would not only protect the territory but also conserve natural resources.

Gomez said it was time for the government to “support blue water oceanography that will help our scientists do research on our [Exclusive Economic Zone] and show the [Philippine] flag.”

“If we have research vessels going out to [Kalayaan Island Group], Scarborough Shoal, the east coast of the Philippines … we are [at least] showing our presence,” he added.


Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/105974/photos-confirm-china-reclamation-experts-hit-reef-degradation-in-spratly#ixzz33ysa0VBE
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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CHINA TO INVADE KAGITINGAN REEF FOR AIR CONTROL

China eyes to reclaim second reef in West PH Sea, preparing to establish ADIZ
by Ishi Gonzales 8/06/2014 | 3:48 Posted in Nation

According to South China Morning Post, China is planning to reclaim Fiery Cross Reef known as Kagitingan Reef in Philippines. This is in the wake of reclamation activity of China in Mabini reef.

As posted by SCMP, “The proposal to build an artificial island there had been submitted to the central government, said Jin Canrong , a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. The artificial island would be at least double the size of the US military base of Diego Garcia, a remote coral atoll occupying an area of 44 square kilometres in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Jin added.”

“It’s a very complicated oceanic engineering project, so we need to learn from the experience (outcome of reclamation in Mabini Reef),” said Jin Canrong. Approval of the said reclamation will depend on the success of activities in Mabini Reef.

Li Jie said, an expert from the Chinese Naval Research Institute, Kagitingan Reef if turned into island will be built with a port and airstrip that will provide military supplies and assistance.

An unnamed retired People’s Liberation Army senior colonel said with these structures China can better prepare for the establishment of an air defence identification zone over the South China Sea.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2014/06/08/878-china-eyes-to-reclaim-second-reef-in-west-ph-sea-preparing-to-establish-adiz

China will keep on doing this unless the world responds now with enough sanctions.

The Philippines can start with the export ban on minerals to china and import ban on all chinese products.
Edited by Flipzi, Mon Jun 9, 2014 2:28 am.
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
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PH eyes protest vs China's artificial island

ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 06/09/2014 11:00 AM | Updated as of 06/09/2014 11:00 AM

MANILA - China's reported plan to build a military base on an artificial island at the Fiery Cross Reef, known in the Philippines as Kagitingan Reef, could undermine the Philippines' arbitration case, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said Monday.

DFA Spokesman Charles Jose said the Philippine government has yet to confirm the report, which first came out in the South China Morning Post.

"If the report is true, very clearly what China is doing is - it intends to alter the status quo and change the character of the feature and we believe that by doing so they will prejudice the arbitration we have filed against China before [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]," Jose said in an ANC interview.

If confirmed, he said the Philippines will lodge a protest before Beijing.

Jose said the Philippines is working with its partners and allies in the region to protect its territorial and maritime interests and ensure the freedom of navigation in the waters of the South China Sea. He said the Philippines is working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the creation of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and has recently forged the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States.

"Hopefully, that will strengthen and advance our external and territorial defense. Of course, we are also trying to cooperate with our partners like Japan, South Korea and Australia," he said.

The South China Morning Post earlier reported China plans to construct an artificial island with all supporting installations like air and sea ports. The island would be constructed on the Fiery Cross Reef, known in the Philippines as Kagitingan Reef, the report said.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University, said the proposal has already been submitted to China's central government.

He said the artificial island would be at least double the size of the US military base of Diego Garcia, a 44-square-kilometer American military base in the Indian Ocean.

Analysts say China's move indicates a shift from defense to offense in the East and South China Seas.

It is also seen as a step to the declaration of an air defense identification zone.

Analysts warned reclamation at the Fiery Cross Atoll, which is claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam, would further strain Beijing's relations with neighbors.

The Philippines earlier said it was investigating signs that China was reclaiming land on disputed South China Sea reefs but stressed it would not be provoked into a rash response.

President Benigno Aquino's spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the government was looking into reports that the Chinese were damaging the reefs in an alleged effort to turn two remote outcrops in the sea into islands.

But she added that Manila would continue to pursue a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

"We do not respond to provocative action, especially (through) military action... we always exhaust the diplomatic channels, as well as other legal means that can help us address this particular issue."

She also reiterated Aquino's earlier remarks that Chinese ships had been spotted in the South China Sea, possibly carrying land reclamation equipment.

The two reefs are within the Spratly Islands region, a disputed archipelago of reefs, islands and atolls in the South China Sea that is coveted by the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Photographs allegedly taken by the Philippine military showing Chinese ships engaged in land reclamation off a reef, were published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a major Manila daily on Saturday.

However an Armed Forces spokesman could not confirm if the photos were genuine.

Last month, the Philippines publicly accused Beijing of large-scale reclamation activity at another location within the Spratlys, the Chinese-held Johnson South Reef.

Manila, which also claims the reef, said the reclamation work could lead to China building its first airstrip in the disputed region.

Johnson South Reef lies about 300 kilometers from the large Philippine island of Palawan and is considerably further away from the Chinese coastline.

The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China's reclamation works on the reef but Beijing rejected it on grounds the reef is part of Chinese territory.

Tensions have risen over China's claim to most of the South China Sea with the Philippines and Vietnam being the most vocal in recent years in accusing China of using bullying tactics to enforce its claim. With Agence France-Presse

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/09/14/ph-eyes-protest-vs-chinas-artificial-island
Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan
Manila, Philippines
getflipzi@yahoo.com

http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi

" Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!"

" People don't care what we know until they know we care."
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